BRITPOP legend Richard Ashcroft says that his former band The
Verve's Urban Hymns album is the best he's ever made.
It's perhaps not the bolest advert for his third solo set. But if
you're expecting yet another introspective semi-plugged album,
you'll be happily surprised. There's a dash of Motown about
brassy opener Why Not Nothing? and Sweet Brother Malcolm hints at Brian
Jcones-era Rolling Stones. Elsewhere, the recent collaboration with
Chris Martin has clearly rubbed off, with Words Just Get In Tehe Way a
close relation of Coldplay's Fix You. It's still not a
bittersweet symphony but it's a step in the right direction. PC

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